


So I Stayed In the Darkness With You

by thursjournal



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Tumblr: letswritesherlock, brotp or otp, ship it however you like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-20
Updated: 2014-08-20
Packaged: 2018-02-14 00:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2171415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thursjournal/pseuds/thursjournal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock stands for a minute, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. </p><p>“Just leave me alone,” John says as he turns to face the wall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	So I Stayed In the Darkness With You

**Author's Note:**

> let's write sherlock challenge 15 bingo card 4 trope hurt/comfort. 
> 
> thanks to wyomingnot for the very helpful beta, and to stephisanerd for a second opinion about flashbacks.

Sherlock walks carefully up the stairs. He pushes the door open with his foot and sets the plate of toast and the cup of tea down on the nightstand.

“I’m not hungry,” John grumbles through the darkness.

“Then perhaps you’d like to pick a case,” Sherlock says, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a phone. “It would give you something more interesting to blog about than your deteriorating marriage.”

“How else would you know I’m getting a divorce,” John’s voice cuts bitterly.

Sherlock sets the phone down next to the tea. He stands for a minute, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Just leave me alone,” John says as he turns to face the wall.

***

_Sherlock stands by his mother’s chair, holding up a tea cup and tugging at her shirt sleeve. “Not now, dear, Mummy is busy,” she says as she glances between her notes and several large books spread out across the table. Sherlock’s lip trembles and he drops the cup as his eyes fill with tears. His mother jumps up at the sound of the breaking china. With an exasperated sigh, she sends him to his room._

***

_Sherlock sits in the living room, twisting the phone cord around his finger. “But Mycroft, they’re WRONG,” he pleads into the phone. “They just won’t listen to me because they think I’m too young, but where are Carl Powers’ SHOES?? If you could just--”_

_Mycroft cuts him off. “I’m late for class, Sherlock. You must stop calling me at all hours. I’m sure the police will figure it out on their own eventually. Goodbye, brother dear” The line clicks and then there is only a dial tone._

***

_Sherlock paces around the small dorm room running his hands frantically through his hair. The din of voices and music from the hallway reverberates inside his skull. He storms out of the room and shoves his way through the crowd before pounding on a neighboring door. “Seb, I need a cigarette,” he yells._

_When Sebastian appears he’s wearing only pants and their school tie. “I don’t have any bloody cigarettes, and I’m BUSY” he says looking behind him into the room._

_“They’re not real, you know,” Sherlock says after a quick glance at the girl who joins Sebastian in the doorway. “Most likely the surgery was paid for by her boyfriend who is a captain on the rugby squad at King’s College.”_

_Sebastian turns to dig through a desk drawer and then shoves something towards Sherlock. “This should shut you up,” he mumbles before slamming the door._

_Sherlock returns to his room and stands by the window, turning the small bag of white powder over and over in his hand._

_***_

Sherlock lowers himself gently to sit on the edge of the bed. He slips off his shoes and swings his legs up, turning on his side. Leaving a small buffer of space between them, he rests one arm across John’s shoulder.

It takes 13 minutes for John to relax. It feels like an eternity to Sherlock who lies counting the seconds in the cold quiet, but eventually John’s shoulders slump, and he turns his face into the pillow. Hitching breaths become racking sobs. Sherlock pulls John tight against his chest.

“You’re not alone,” he whispers.

 


End file.
